Payment using unique product identifier codes

ABSTRACT

Various methods and systems are provided to capture a unique product code, such as QR code, on a mobile device, process the information contained in the code, provide the user with options of making a purchase, including purchasing a plurality of selected products from different captured codes, and processing the payment via the user&#39;s mobile device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/990,743, filed Aug. 11, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/050,135, filed Jul. 31, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No.10,740,829, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/791,063, filed Jul. 2, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,037,562 whichclaims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 12/634,478, filed Dec. 9,2009, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to on-line payments and moreparticularly to making payments using a product identifier code.

Related Art

More and more consumers are purchasing items and services overelectronic networks, such as the Internet. Consumers routinely searchfor and purchase products and services from merchants and individualsalike. The transactions can take place directly between an on-linemerchant or retailer and the consumer, where payment is typically madeby entering credit card or other financial information. Transactions canalso take place with the aid of an on-line payment provider, such asPayPal, Inc. of San Jose, CA. Such payment providers can maketransactions easier and safer for the parties. Purchasing through theInternet from the convenience of a consumer's home, office, or virtuallyanywhere (with mobile devices) is one main reason why on-line purchasesare growing faster and faster.

One typical way consumers locate, identify, and pay for a product is tosimply go to a store, find the desired products, have the productsscanned at checkout, and pay at the store, such as using cash, check, adebit card, a credit card, or vouchers/coupons. However, this requires aconsumer to be at a physical point of sale (POS) and provide physicalpayment, which is time-consuming and can be inconvenient and burdensome.Shopping on-line overcomes at least the requirement of being at the POS.With on-line shopping, the user searches the Internet, accesses aretailer/merchant website, selects desired products, places them in avirtual cart, and pays on-line, either directly to the merchant orthrough a payment provider. A disadvantage of on-line shopping is thatthe consumer must be in front of a PC or other computing device, suchthat shopping and payment is confined to an experience in front of thePC. Furthermore, it may be cumbersome and time-consumer for the consumerto enter required information for an on-line payment, which may includea credit card/account number, billing address, etc.

Yet another way is for consumers to locate and purchase products is touse a catalog, newspaper, advertisement pamphlet, or other print mediato first locate a product. Once located, the consumer goes to the storeor logs into a specified web site to select and pay for the product(s),such as described above. Thus, this method suffers the samedisadvantages as the other two methods of either purchase/payment inperson at a physical POS or having to be in front of a computing devicefor selection and payment.

Thus, there is a need for a way that consumers can select and pay for adesired product without the disadvantages of the conventional methodsabove.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a system and method includes firstcapturing an image of a product code, such as by taking a picture of thecode with a camera on a phone. In one embodiment, the code is a QuickResponse (QR) code that includes sufficient information about theproduct and price to allow the user to purchase and pay for the productwith information from the code. Once captured on the mobile device, theimage is processed to obtain the product information, such as price,merchant, and description. The user may then select the product forpurchase. Purchase may be accomplished with a simple payment button onthe device screen that the user selects. Product and payment informationmay then be transmitted by the device to a payment provider to processthe payment to the appropriate recipient.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bemore readily apparent from the detailed description of the embodimentsset forth below taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a QR code affixed to a tangible medium, which can becaptured and used for payment according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process for conducting a purchase andpayment from a captured QR code according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process for conducting a purchase andpayment from a captured QR code by a first-time user according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a networked system configured to purchaseand pay for an item associated with a captured QR code in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer system suitable for implementingone or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are bestunderstood by referring to the detailed description that follows. Itshould be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identifylike elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, whereinshowings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of thepresent disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a two-dimensional product code affixed to tangible medium,such as a piece of paper, container, or product, or even a web page. Inone embodiment, the two-dimensional code is a quick response or QR code102, created by Denso-Wave of Japan, and the tangible medium is a page104 from a catalog or magazine. Other types of two-dimensional or othercodes may also be suitable, such as the PDF417 code by SymbolTechnologies, the DataMatrix code by RVSU Acuity CiMatrix, and the MaxiCode by UPS. QR code 102 contains information about an associatedproduct or service on page 104. Note that as used herein, product oritem refers to both products and services. For example, page 104 may beadvertising a specific DVD, CD, watch, type of clothing, a motorcycle,or virtually any product or service that is available for purchase. Notethat QR code can also be displayed on other medium, such as the actualproduct itself, its container, or a web page. QR codes and other similarcodes are able to contain large amounts of information, due in part todata being stored in both the horizontal and vertical directions of thecode. In contrast, bar codes store data only in one direction, e.g.,horizontally. As an example of the information storage differences, aconventional bar code can only store approximately 20 digits, while a QRcode can handle up to several hundred times more information (e.g., over7000 numeric characters or over 4000 alphanumeric characters). QR codeswere created by Denso-Wave of Japan, and additional information can beobtained through Denso-Wave's web site.

Due to the large amounts of information capable of being stored on QRcode 102, specific information may be encoded to convey desiredinformation about the product/service offered for sale. In the exampleof FIG. 1 , page 104 of the magazine may show and briefly describe aproduct, such as a watch 106. However, page 104 may not have sufficientarea to provide the consumer with all the needed information about theproduct or the merchant/advertiser may not want to clutter the page forfear of reducing the ad appeal. QR code 102 on page 104 can be encodedto provide information about watch 106 such as detailed productdescription, a URL link to a website of a merchant offering the watchfor sale, a URL link to a website of the watch manufacturer, UPC codefor the watch, price, watch options, payment remittance information,etc. Information on QR code 102 may be decoded to provide the user easyaccess or display to such information, including giving the user anoption to pay for the product. Payment information may include merchantname, account information (such as recipient account number oridentifier with a payment provider), and price.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart 200 showing processes for making an on-linepayment from a unique product code, such as QR code 102 of FIG. 1 ,according to one embodiment. At step 202, a consumer or user captures animage of the QR code, such as by taking a picture of the code orscanning the code using a camera on a mobile phone or any device thatcan capture an image. The QR code contains sufficient information aboutthe product, price, and merchant to enable the user to purchase and payfor the product from the information contained in the product code. TheQR code can then be decoded or processed, such as by software in thephone, at step 204. QR code reader/decoder software is commonlyavailable. Once processed, content from the QR code is displayed on theuser device at step 206.

The type of display can vary depending on the content of the QR code.For example, the user may be directed to a web page of the manufactureror of a merchant selling the product, where the user can obtain moredetails about the product. The display may also show a more detaileddescription of the product, which may include one or more pictures ofthe product.

Next, various actions can be performed based on the captured QR code,starting with whether the user wants to store information about theproduct associated with the captured QR code at step 208. If so, theproduct information is stored in the device at step 210, which the usermay later access, along with any other stored information about otherproducts or about the same product but from a different store/purchasechannel for possible comparison shopping. A determination is also made,at step 212, whether to send a message (such as SMS), a link to theproduct, or other information about the product from the captured QRcode to someone else. If so, the user selects the desired transmissionand enters the requested information at step 214. For example, if theuser wants to send a link and/or message, the user may enter therecipient's email address, and if the user wants to send a text message,the user enters the phone number of the recipient's device. The selecteddata is then sent to the recipient at step 216. Note that steps 208-216,and other subsequent steps can be performed in any order and are notlimited to the sequence shown.

Next, at step 218, a determination can be made whether the uses wishesto purchase the product associated with the captured QR code. This canbe done by the user simply selecting a “buy” button or link associatedwith the product. After deciding whether to purchase the product, adetermination can be made, at step 220, whether to purchase additionalproducts stored on the user's device, such as products associated withpreviously captured QR codes. If more products are to be purchased, theuser selects the desired product(s) at step 222. The previously storedproducts may be accessed by date captured, type, price, etc., where theuser selects the products by clicking on a box, clicking on a buy buttonassociated with the product, etc.

Once the desired product(s) for purchase have been selected, data issent from the user's device, such as to a payment provider like PayPal,Inc. of San Jose, CA, and processed at step 224. Examples of types ofdata include an account number of the recipient with the paymentprovider, although in other embodiments, the account number can be witha bank or other financial institution, payment amount for each selectedproduct, and funding information of the user, such as an account number,user name, password, phone number associated with the user/account, etc.Processing may be debiting the appropriate funds from the user'sdesignated account and crediting the appropriate funds to therecipient's or merchant's designated account(s). The user and/or themerchant may then be notified, at step 226, that payment has been madeand received, such as with an email, text, on-screen confirmation, orvoice message. Delivery of the purchased product(s) can then be made bythe merchant to the consumer. Note that the delivery can be made at aphysical POS or by shipping and could also be a digital download itemlike software or digital media such as video or music files. Forexample, if the user scans a QR code of a product, where the product isimmediately available, such as at a retail store, the user may takedelivery of the product at the POS as soon as payment is made, such aswith the process described above.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart 300 showing a method according to anotherembodiment, where the user does not have an account with the paymentprovider used to make the payment. At step 302, the user scans orcaptures a QR code or other unique product code, using a suitabledevice, such as a smart phone with a camera/scanner. Information aboutthe product or service contained in the QR code is decoded, and the useris re-directed to a third party site, such as a merchant site, at step304. For example, after capturing the QR code, the user's devicedisplays a merchant web site offering the product from the QR code. Onceon the site, the user may decide whether to purchase the product, suchas with a “buy” button or link, at step 306. If the user decides not tomake the purchase, the user may perform additional actions in step 308,such as sending a link to the product to another, saving the link forpossible later use, etc.

However, if the user decides to purchase the product at step 306, adetermination is made at step 310 whether the user has a pre-approvedagreement with the site. This agreement may include an agreement with apayment provider processing a transaction between the user and the ownerof the site, limits on transaction amount, etc. If there is such anagreement with the merchant, the user makes the purchase at step 322,such as following a procedure for making a payment based on theagreement. This may include simply selecting a “pay” or “purchase”button and may include some sort of authentication of the device and/oruser. Confirmation of the payment may then be made to the user and/ormerchant, followed by transfer of the purchased product from themerchant to the user.

If there is no payment agreement with the merchant, a determination isfirst made at step 312 whether the user has an account with a paymentprovider, such as PayPal, Inc. of San Jose, CA. If so, the user proceedswith a payment flow at step 318. In one example, the user entersrequested information on the payment provider site, which may include anaccount/user identifier, such as a password, PIN, email address, and/orphone number, funding source, and/or amount. Once the payment flow iscompleted on the payment provider site, the user is re-directed back tothe merchant site at step 320. In embodiments, where the payment flow ison the merchant site, this step may be omitted. The purchase is thenmade at step 322.

If, as determined at step 312, the user does not have an account with apayment provider, the payment provider creates an account flow, at step314, that the user can follow. For example, a mobile app may be loadedand accessed that prompts the user for various information to enter fromthe device in order to create the account. After the account is created,the user may fund the account at step 316, such as by designating orspecifying a bank account or a credit card account as a funding sourceand specifying an amount to be transferred from the funding account. Thepayment process continues at steps 318, 320, and 322, as discussedabove.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a networked system 400 configured to handlea purchase transaction, such as described above, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. System 400 includes a user or consumerdevice 410, a merchant server 440, and a payment service provider server470 in communication over a network 460. Payment service provider server470 may be maintained by a payment provider, such as PayPal, Inc. of SanJose, CA.

User device 410, merchant server 440, and payment service providerserver 470 may each include one or more processors, memories, and otherappropriate components for executing instructions such as program codeand/or data stored on one or more computer readable mediums to implementthe various applications, data, and steps described herein. For example,such instructions may be stored in one or more computer readable mediasuch as memories or data storage devices internal and/or external tovarious components of system 400, and/or accessible over network 460.

Network 460 may be implemented as a single network or a combination ofmultiple networks. For example, in various embodiments, network 460 mayinclude the Internet or one or more intranets, landline networks,wireless networks, and/or other appropriate types of networks.

User device 410 may be implemented using any appropriate combination ofhardware and/or software configured for wired and/or wirelesscommunication over network 460. For example, in one embodiment, userdevice 410 may be implemented as a personal computer, equipped with orcapable of receiving data from a scanner and/or camera, of a user 405 incommunication with the Internet. In other embodiments, user device 410may be implemented as a wireless telephone, personal digital assistant(PDA), notebook computer, and/or other types of computing devicesequipped with or capable of receiving data from a scanner and/or camera.

As shown, user device 410 may include one or more browser applications415 which may be used, for example, to provide a convenient interface topermit user 405 to browse information available over network 460. Forexample, in one embodiment, browser application 415 may be implementedas a web browser configured to view information available over theInternet, such as when directed to a URL site from a captured QR code.User device 410 may also include one or more toolbar applications 420which may be used, for example, to provide client-side processing forperforming desired tasks in response to operations selected by user 405.In one embodiment, toolbar application 420 may display a user interfacein connection with browser application 415 as further described herein.

In addition, user device 410 may include an image processing application422 that receives an image captured from a scanner or camera on userdevice 410 and processes the image to decode data found on the image. Asdiscussed above, the image may be of a QR code 424 or other uniqueproduct code containing data sufficient to purchase the productassociated with the code. Image processing application 422 may containsoftware for decoding the code. Code 424 may be displayed on a page,product, product container, product package, web site, or any other formthat allows user 405 to scan or photograph code 424 using user device410.

User device 410 may further include other applications 425 as may bedesired in particular embodiments to provide desired features to userdevice 410. For example, such other applications 425 may includesecurity applications for implementing client-side security features,programmatic client applications for interfacing with appropriateapplication programming interfaces (APIs) over network 460, or othertypes of applications. Applications 425 may also include email andtexting applications that allow user 405 to send and receive emails andtexts through network 460. User device 410 includes one or more useridentifiers 430 which may be implemented, for example, as operatingsystem registry entries, cookies associated with browser application415, identifiers associated with hardware of user device 410, or otherappropriate identifiers, such as used for payment/user/deviceauthentication. In one embodiment, user identifier 430 may be used by apayment service provider to associate user 405 with a particular accountmaintained by the payment service provider as further described herein.

Merchant server 440 may be maintained, for example, by an on-linemerchant offering various products and/or services, such as associatedwith a captured QR code, in exchange for payment to be received overnetwork 460. In this regard, merchant server 440 includes a database 445identifying available products and/or services (e.g., collectivelyreferred to as items) which may be made available for viewing andpurchase by user 405, such as when redirected to the site from acaptured QR code. Accordingly, merchant server 440 also includes amarketplace application 450 which may be configured to serve informationover network 460 to browser 415 of user device 410. In one embodiment,user 405 may interact with marketplace application 450 through browserapplications over network 460 in order to view various products orservices identified in database 445, using data from a captured productcode.

Merchant server 440 also includes a checkout application 455 which maybe configured to facilitate the purchase by user 405 of goods orservices identified by marketplace application 450. Checkout application455 may be configured to accept payment information from user 405 and/orfrom payment service provider server 470 over network 460.

Payment service provider server 470 may be maintained, for example, byan online payment service provider which may provide payment on behalfof user 405 to the operator of merchant server 440. In this regard,payment service provider server 470 includes one or more paymentapplications 475 which may be configured to interact with user device410 and/or merchant server 440 over network 460 to facilitate thepurchase of goods or services by user 405 of user device 410 frommerchant server 440. In one embodiment, payment service provider server470 may be provided by PayPal, Inc.

Payment service provider server 470 also maintains a plurality of useraccounts 480, each of which may include account information 485associated with individual users. For example, account information 485may include private financial information of users of devices such asaccount numbers, passwords, phone numbers, credit card information, bankinformation, or other financial information which may be used tofacilitate online transactions by user 405. Advantageously, paymentapplication 475 may be configured to interact with merchant server 440on behalf of user 405 during a transaction with checkout application 455to track and manage purchases made by users.

Payment application 475 may include a mobile payment processingapplication 490 which may be configured to receive information from amobile user device and/or merchant server 440 for storage in a paymentdatabase 495. Payment application 475 may be further configured to matchdata received from a mobile device with information stored in paymentdatabase 495 for payment authentication and processing. As discussedthis data may include the user's device phone number, email, password,and/or PIN.

Payment service provider server 470 may further include a first-timeuser payment application 496 which may be configured to generate andprocess a request for payment received from a user device of a user whodoes not have an account with the payment provider. In one embodiment,first-time user payment application 496 may be configured to perform thesteps described above for making payment to a merchant from a first-timeuser.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer system 500 suitable forimplementing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Invarious implementations, the user device may comprise a personalcomputing device (e.g., a personal computer, laptop, cell phone, PDA,etc.) capable of communicating with the network. The merchant and/orpayment provider may utilize a network computing device (e.g., a networkserver) capable of communicating with the network. It should beappreciated that each of the devices utilized by users, merchants, andpayment providers may be implemented as computer system 500 in a manneras follows.

Computer system 500 includes a bus 502 or other communication mechanismfor communicating information data, signals, and information betweenvarious components of computer system 500. Components include an inputcomponent 504 that processes a user action, such as selecting keys froma keypad/keyboard, selecting one or more buttons or links, etc., andsends a corresponding signal to bus 502. A transceiver 506 transmits andreceives signals between computer system 500 and other devices, such asa merchant server, payment provider server, or another user device. Inone embodiment, the transmission is wireless, although othertransmission mediums and methods may also be suitable. An image capturemechanism 508, such as a scanner or camera, captures an image, such as aQR code. A processor 512, which can be a micro-controller, digitalsignal processor (DSP), or other processing component, processes thesevarious signals, such as for display on computer system 500 ortransmission to other devices via a communication link 518. The capturedimage from mechanism 508 may be processed within mechanism 508 or byprocessor 512.

Components of computer system 500 also include a system memory component514 (e.g., RAM) and a static storage component 516 (e.g., ROM). Computersystem 500 performs specific operations by processor 512 and othercomponents by executing one or more sequences of instructions containedin system memory component 514. Logic may be encoded in a computerreadable medium, which may refer to any medium that participates inproviding instructions to processor 512 for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. In various implementations,non-volatile media includes optical or magnetic disks, volatile mediaincludes dynamic memory, such as system memory component 514, andtransmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiberoptics, including wires that comprise bus 502. In one example,transmission media may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such asthose generated during radio wave, optical, and infrared datacommunications.

Some common forms of computer readable media includes, for example,floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magneticmedium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, anyother physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM,FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, carrier wave, or anyother medium from which a computer is adapted to read.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, execution ofinstruction sequences to practice the present disclosure may beperformed by computer system 500. In various other embodiments of thepresent disclosure, a plurality of computer systems 500 coupled bycommunication link 518 to the network (e.g., such as a LAN, WLAN, PTSN,and/or various other wired or wireless networks, includingtelecommunications, mobile, and cellular phone networks) may performinstruction sequences to practice the present disclosure in coordinationwith one another.

Where applicable, various embodiments provided by the present disclosuremay be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations of hardwareand software. Also, where applicable, the various hardware componentsand/or software components set forth herein may be combined intocomposite components comprising software, hardware, and/or both withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present disclosure. Where applicable,the various hardware components and/or software components set forthherein may be separated into sub-components comprising software,hardware, or both without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In addition, where applicable, it is contemplated thatsoftware components may be implemented as hardware components andvice-versa.

Software, in accordance with the present disclosure, such as programcode and/or data, may be stored on one or more computer readablemediums. It is also contemplated that software identified herein may beimplemented using one or more general purpose or specific purposecomputers and/or computer systems, networked and/or otherwise. Whereapplicable, the ordering of various steps described herein may bechanged, combined into composite steps, and/or separated into sub-stepsto provide features described herein.

The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the present disclosureto the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed. As such, itis contemplated that various alternate embodiments and/or modificationsto the present disclosure, whether explicitly described or impliedherein, are possible in light of the disclosure. Having thus describedembodiments of the present disclosure, persons of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the presentdisclosure is limited only by the claims.

1. (canceled)
 2. A system, comprising: a processor; and a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that areexecutable by the processor to cause the system to perform operationscomprising: electronically scanning, at least in part via an imagingsensor of a user device of a user, a machine-readable code associatedwith a purchasable item; based on the electronically scanning of themachine-readable code, causing a website of a merchant to be displayedon the user device; detecting a user interaction made with the websiteof the merchant, wherein the user interaction is made via a userinterface component of the user device; based on the detecting of theuser interaction, determining that the user has displayed an intent toengage in an electronic transaction involving the purchasable item butlacks an account with a payment provider for processing the electronictransaction; based on the determining, accessing a mobile applicationassociated with the payment provider; performing, at least in part viathe mobile application, a registration of a user account with thepayment provider; and facilitating, via the user account, the electronictransaction involving the purchasable item.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the machine-readable code comprises a Quick-Response (QR) code.4. The system of claim 2, wherein a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) isembedded in the machine-readable code.
 5. The system of claim 2, whereininformation associated with the purchasable item is embedded in themachine-readable code, and wherein the electronically scanning of themachine-readable code causes the information associated with thepurchasable item to be extracted from the machine-readable code.
 6. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the information associated with thepurchasable item comprises a description of the purchasable item or aprice of the purchasable item.
 7. The system of claim 2, wherein themobile application is not installed on the user device prior to thedetecting of the user interaction, and wherein the accessing the mobileapplication comprises causing the mobile application to be downloadedand installed on the user device.
 8. The system of claim 2, wherein theaccessing of the mobile application is further based on a determinationthat the user lacks a pre-approved agreement with the payment providerto process transactions involving the website of the merchant.
 9. Amethod, comprising: electronically scanning, via an imaging sensor of auser device of a user, a machine-readable code; extracting, based on theelectronically scanning, embedded information from the machine-readablecode, the embedded information associated with a purchasable item;displaying at least some of the extracted embedded information on a userinterface of the user device; detecting, via the user interface, aninteraction from the user with respect to the displayed extractedembedded information; determining, based on the detected interactionfrom the user, that the user has demonstrated an intent to purchase thepurchasable item from a merchant; and facilitating, based on thedetermining, an electronic transaction involving the user and thepurchasable item.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein themachine-readable code comprises a Quick-Response (QR) code, and whereinthe embedded information comprises a description of the purchasable itemor a price of the purchasable item.
 11. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising storing the extracted embedded information in an electronicstorage.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising electronicallytransmitting the extracted embedded information to another user device.13. The method of claim 12, wherein the extracted embedded informationis electronically transmitted via a text message, an email, or anelectronic link.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the embeddedinformation is undecipherable by a human.
 15. The method of claim 9,wherein the embedded information comprises an electronic link to awebsite of the merchant.
 16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:accessing stored information corresponding to one or more previouslyscanned machine-readable codes; and displaying, on the user device,purchasable content corresponding to the stored information.
 17. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the facilitating the electronic transactioncomprises sending information pertaining to the electronic transaction,including the extracted embedded information, to a server of a paymentprovider.
 18. A method, comprising: accessing information extracted byan electronic scan of a machine-readable code, wherein the informationpertains to a purchasable item offered by a merchant, and wherein theinformation was previously embedded in the machine-readable code beforethe electronic scan; based on the extracted information, causing awebsite of the merchant to be presented to a user via a device of theuser, the website containing the information pertaining to thepurchasable item; determining, after the website has been presented tothe user, that the user has initiated an electronic transactioninvolving the purchasable item; accessing authentication credentialsassociated with the user; and after a successful authentication of theuser based on the authentication credentials, processing the electronictransaction.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the machine-readablecode comprises a Quick-Response (QR) code, and wherein the informationcomprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) link to the website of themerchant.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the information isextracted based on the electronic scan of the machine-readable code by acamera of a mobile device of the user.
 21. The method of claim 18,wherein the accessing the information, the causing, the determining, theaccessing the authentication credentials, and the processing areperformed by a server of a payment provider, and wherein the methodfurther comprises: based on a determination that the user does not havean existing account with the payment provider, registering the user withthe payment provider at least in part via a launching of a mobileapplication of the payment provider on the device of the user.